With Pennsylvania state announcing there are enough votes to pass SB76 this year, there has been a concerted statewide effort to publish editorials and send information packets to parents that misrepresent, in many cases heinously, the facts about SB76 and the analysis by the Independent Fiscal Office.
State Sen. David ArgallCourtesy Photo
This intentional manipulation is disturbing enough, but when you consider the sources — well-educated individuals and organizations responsible for instructing our children — it can and should be classified as scandalous. If there is anything educators should take pride in, it is sharing information in an honest, factual manner.
On Jan. 24, Sens. Argall and Lisa Boscola, two strong SB76 supporters, were on PCN discussing the bill. A school board director from the Palmyra School District called into and stated they (presumably the Palmyra School Board) are being told if SB76 is enacted, 400 of Pennsylvania’s 500-plus school districts would collapse. These are ludicrous scare tactics. Fortunately, as fate would have it, I was the next caller. I shared factual data from the IFO analysis, which projects 4 percent-plus annual school district funding increases through 2019.
If 4 percent-plus annual funding increases are going to cause 400 schools to collapse, how high are annual taxes going to need to be raised? Obviously that is a rhetorical question. With 4 percent-plus annual increases, no schools are collapsing. This ploy captures the deceitful length supporters of the status quo are going to discredit the bill.
Robert Kistler
Palmerton
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